The Easiest Way to Stomp Drywall Ceiling

A crow’s foot pattern created with a stomp brush is one of many different ways to add textural interest to a drywall ceiling. A stomped drywall ceiling is easy for a do-it-yourselfer because there is no uniform pattern that you must maintain. The process involves dipping a stiff brush, or stomp, into thin drywall mud and then dabbing it onto the ceiling. Before you begin the stomped drywall ceiling, prime the drywall with interior latex wall paint so the ceiling has a uniform color.

Things You'll Need

Drywall mud or joint compound

Trowel

Stomp brush

Paddle mixer

Drill

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Prepare a small batch of thinned drywall mud or joint compound so you can practice making the crow’s foot pattern. Lightly cover a piece of scrap drywall with a thin layer of drywall mud using a trowel. Dip the tips of a stomp brush into the mud in the mixing bucket and press the stomp brush onto the drywall scrap. Lift it straight up and repeat until there is no more mud on the brush. Load more mud into the brush and repeat until you know how to create the pattern.

Mix a larger batch of mud or compound using a paddle mixer attached to a drill. Do not overmix the mud or it may develop tiny air bubbles that are impossible to remove.

Spread a thin layer of mud onto a section of the ceiling. Make the section only as large as you can stomp before the mud begins to set up.

Dip a stomp brush into the drywall mud. Stomp the pattern you practiced onto the ceiling.

Continue stomping the ceiling one section at a time. For quicker results, have one person apply the thin coat of mud and a second person stomp the pattern.

Scrape off any stomp marks that do not match the pattern you established before the stomp marks dry, using a knife. Reapply mud and stomp the pattern again.

Tips & Warnings

Soak the brush in water before you start if it is too stiff to give you a good pattern. Rinse it out if it doesn’t continue to give the same results throughout the stomping process.

Stomp brushes on long poles are available to make it easier to stomp the ceiling without repeatedly climbing onto a ladder.

A natural bristle stomp brush provides more of the traditional crow’s foot stomping pattern, where a synthetic bristle provides a more uniform stomping pattern.